Greater Decision-making Power Research Articles

Women’s economic empowerment and maternal mental health: A qualitative study in Rural Kenya

IntroductionBackground: Maternal mental health is increasingly becoming a public health concern in developing countries because of predominant health and socio-economic inequalities. Mental well-being is essential for a woman to cope with daily life stresses and contribute positively to her community. Initiatives that empower women can enhance their well-being and improve the health of their families. However, limited evidence shows how women’s empowerment affects maternal well-being in a rural setting.ObjectivesThis paper explores the perspective of women’s economic empowerment in a rural Kenyan community and its effect on women’s mental well-being.Methods We purposively sampled women and men from the rural community who met the eligibility criteria (women who were pregnant and or with a child less than two years old and married men and residents in the community. We conducted two focus group discussions with the men and women separately, 11 key informant interviews with community stakeholders, and a four-month participant observation of 20 women participants who were pregnant and or with a child less than one year old.Results The study found that economically empowered women had greater decision-making power and self-efficacy. However, cultural expectations and barriers that dictated the role of women prevented them from accessing and controlling resources and participating in important decisions such as land and property ownership. Women faced domestic violence (physical, verbal, and denial of basic needs) and inadequate support (emotional, physical, and financial) from spouses and other family members. These challenges and barriers increased their mental stress. To cope, women engaged in economic activities individually or in groups to meet the basic needs of their families.ConclusionsWomen’s economic empowerment can positively and negatively affect their overall well-being. Positively, women gain greater access to resources, improved decision-making, and the ability to plan and achieve their goals. Negatively, empowerment can lead to reduced spousal and kin support and an increased risk of domestic violence. Furthermore, these negative consequences can also affect women’s mental well-being. To ensure the well-being of mothers, it is crucial to engage men in empowerment programs and raise awareness in communities to address socio-cultural norms that impede women’s economic empowerment and negatively affect the well-being of women. Additionally, mental health support should be incorporated into these empowerment programs to mitigate the negative effects of women’s empowerment and improve resilience.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Early childhood development and its association with women's empowerment in the context of urban poverty in Ethiopia

BackgroundEmpowered women, with increased access to and control over resources, stronger social networks, greater decision-making power, and a more positive gender attitude, significantly contribute to better family well-being. While there is ample evidence regarding the association between child nutrition and women's empowerment, studies examining the association between early childhood development (ECD) and women's empowerment are scarce. AimsThe aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ECD delays among 12–36 months old and investigate its association with women's empowerment among the urban poor in Ethiopia. MethodsThe study included a sample of 432 women who were unemployed or had irregular employment during the data collection period, along with their children in urban Ethiopia. The ECD was assessed using the Age and Stage Questionnaire (ASQ-3), a tool designed to accurately identify developmental delays in infants and young children and categorized as on track, needs monitoring, and possible delays. Women's empowerment was measured using a multidimensional index that captured access to and control over resources, decision-making power, and social capital, and then categorized into lowest, medium, and highest empowerment levels. The association between ECD domains and women's empowerment was analyzed using ordinal logistic regression, after adjusting for confounders. ResultsThe study found a high prevalence of delays in ECD domains, with fine motor domain accounting for the largest delay (40.6 %). Children of less empowered mothers are more likely to have the highest development delays in communication (OR=2.22; 95 % CI: 1.36; 3.62), gross motor (OR=1.69; 95 % CI: 1.04; 2.76), problem solving (OR=1.85; 95 % CI: 1.15; 2.98), and personal-social (OR=2.59; 95 % CI: 1.62; 4.15) skills compared to children of more empowered mothers. ConclusionsThe study highlights the significance of women's empowerment in promoting ECD, especially in developing countries where ECD programs are fragmented and lacks coordination. Therefore, targeted interventions that improve women's empowerment could lead to improved ECD outcomes.

Women in leadership in the party: Women’s representation in intra-party leadership and party positions on gender equality in employment

Labour policies have large impacts on gender equality in the workplace. While political parties play critical roles in policy making, it remains unclear if party-level women’s representation impacts labour policies. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between women’s representation in intra-party leadership and party policy positions on gender equality in employment. The analyses of 1,955 political parties in 169 countries from 1970 to 2019 find that a higher proportion of women in intra-party leadership results in the party taking stances more likely to favor gender equality in employment. Even among the parties we would expect to be the least women-friendly, a greater representation of women in intra-party leadership has positive influence. More women in leadership means stronger party support for gender equality regardless of ideological party placement. Furthermore, the findings also suggest that women party leaders have greater impacts on labour policies when a party leadership has greater decision-making power.

Gender equality or just more involved fathering? A critical examination of the division of childcare in Hong Kong’s professional middle-class families

ABSTRACT The ideals of paternal involvement in childcare have become evermore celebrated in Hong Kong and elsewhere, but are these signs of a new form of gender equality in the family? Based on in-depth interviews with professional middle-class families in Hong Kong, our findings suggest not. Although mothers’ expectations of paternal involvement, privileged class positions and assistance from domestic helpers have contributed to increased father’s engagement, we are not seeing gender-equal parenting emerging in these families. Instead, compared to mothers, fathers exercise more flexibility over which and when to perform parenting tasks, spend lesser time on childcare, have greater decision-making power in the major aspects of their children’s lives, and their financial provision is considered more important in both parents’ construction of fatherhood. To condone the unequal division of childcare and gender relations, we show couples’ endorsement of an ideology of ‘complementary differences’. Our analysis of the co-constructions and negotiations between both parents underscore the mutual influences that spouses have on each other. Moreover, by paying attention to the class, social and cultural dimensions of parenting, we reveal how well-resourced, liberal Chinese families prioritize family harmony and children’s development to the extent that gender inequalities in childcare are tolerable and trivialized.

Experiences using a progestin-only pill in an over-the-counter environment in the United States: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundEfforts are underway to make a progestin-only pill (POP) over the counter (OTC) in the United States (US); however, little is known about POP user experiences, which could impact uptake...

The relationship between political connections and firm performance: An empirical analysis in Europe

This paper analyzes the role of corporate political connections in firm performance from 31 European countries using LexisNexis®, a database that provides a highly standardized indicator of political links. Our results suggest that the political connections of managers and board members gradually gnaw away at firm performance, especially in the case of individuals with greater decision-making power, i.e. senior executives and CEOs. We respond to the need for objectivity and generalizability of results regarding this topic in management literature, especially since previous research has mainly focused on single country studies. In addition we also provide a number of practical implications.

Public Participation for Integrated Groundwater Management: The Case of Maneadero Valley, Baja California, Mexico

There is a controversy in groundwater management: some people argue that public participation has decreased efficiency in decision-making, while others believe this process is not executed effectively. Questions about whether public participation results from the context involving influential people, the rules, or the way participation mechanisms were designed need examination. In this study, opportunities, barriers, and challenges of public participation were analyzed in the management of a coastal aquifer affected by marine intrusion in the Maneadero Valley, México. Mixed methods were implemented, involving 28 interviews with key actors and 50 surveys conducted during 2014 and 2017 with groundwater users. Results show that public participation is mainly determined by power differences, lack of continuity in the participatory processes, and the design of the participation mechanisms. State actors have greater decision-making power in integrated groundwater management. In contrast, groundwater users have limited participation in the process of making proposals, and their participation is generally passive. There are limitations to broad, informed, and responsible public participation: examples of these limitations include different levels of information, inappropriate institutional arrangements, failure to disseminate scientific information, lack of spaces to exercise public participation, and absence of political will. Hence, to improve Maneadero aquifer management, it is necessary to decentralize decision-making, integrate technical and non-technical knowledge, generate scientific evidence about water availability, and give a prominent role to stakeholders and users from the initial stages. In addition, internalization and water culture are required. These results can help to guide integrated groundwater management in other arid regions.

Women’s Empowerment in Manipur

Manipur is a state situated in North-Eastern corner of India. Two-thirds of the population comprise the Meiteis, majority ethnic community in Manipur. Meitei women are renowned for their unique role and status in history. Women in Manipur are particularly noted for their active economic participation and are renowned for their collective empowerment and strong force as depicted in the two Nupilans (women’s wars, or uprisings) against the British when the state was under colonial rule. They are also renowned for their activism against liquor consumption as Nisha Bandhis which later evolved into their powerful role as Meira Paibis(Women torch bearers), a collective of women that are actively involved in civil society movements for justice and human rights. The study seeks to find out whether this legacy of women’s collective strength has translated into greater decision-making power at home and in political representation. The paper uses secondary data to depict the myriad roles that women play in Manipur society, contradictory at times, visible on one hand in high economic participation, powerful as a collective in their role as Meira Paibis, and yet individually still constrained by patriarchy and not prominent when it comes to real decision-making power. It argues that a movement towards tangible actual empowerment is a must.

Reputation based on edge dynamics promotes cooperative behavior

In view of social interactions, people are more inclined to make different decision-making behaviors based on the credibility of different individuals. In this article, based on edge dynamics, that is, players can freely choose different strategies for different opponents, we introduce individual reputation, which is judged by others based on individual performance, thereby exploring how co-evolution of reputation and strategy affects cooperation behavior. A large number of simulation results show that under the condition of diversity interaction, other people's greater decision-making power on individuals' reputation can significantly promote cooperative behavior. It provides scholars with new insights into the social dilemma under the framework of edge dynamic.

Open-Source or Open-Slather? Governing Blockchain Applications as Common-Pool Resources

In the paper, we extend the constitutional catallaxy view of governance on distributed knowledge system (DKS) by including human decision-making concerning ownership and governance of distributed ledger systems (DLS). This allows us to distinguish between institutions that are separate and distinct from ownership and control of the digital elements of the system. We propose that DLS are a speciOic form of common-pool resource or club good, depending upon whether the DLS is (respectively) permissionless (i.e. anyone or any entity can participate at any level of the institution) or permissioned (i.e. speciOic criteria must be met to participate in particular areas of institutional decision-making). Using a polycentric analytic approach and positivist case studies, we conclude that despite promises of decentralised governance of DLS, effective control will be held by a small number of powerful centralised stakeholders determining system software content. Typical DLS end-users exert no greater governance control than customers exercise over the Oirms they do business with, or the beneOiciaries of charities exercise over the trustees. However, permissioned systems with associated formalised governance arrangements typically confer greater decision-making power on node operators than permissionless systems, where higher costs of successful forking increase the larger is the number of nodes, making changes to software-encoded governance rules less likely to occur, even when this may be in end-users’ interests. Keywords: Blockchain, distributed ledger, polycentric governance, club governance, distributed consensus

Factors influencing decision-making power regarding reproductive health and rights among married women in Mettu rural district, south-west, Ethiopia

BackgroundWomen’s decision-making power regarding reproductive health and rights (RHR) was the central component to achieve reproductive well-being. Literatures agree that a women having higher domestic decision-making power regarding their health care were more likely to utilize health services. More than 80% of women in Ethiopia reside in rural areas where they considered as the subordinates of their husbands. This would restrict women to fully exercise their RHR. Thus, this study aims to determine the factors influencing the women’s decision-making power regarding RHR in Mettu rural district, South West Ethiopia.MethodsA community based cross-sectional study was done among 415 by using randomly selected married women of reproductive age from March to April 2017. Data was entered by using Epi-data manger 1.4 and analyzed by SPSS version 21. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out.ResultOne hundred sixty-eight (41.5%) of the women had greater decision-making power regarding RHR. Woman’s primary education AOR 2.62[95% C. I 1.15, 5.97], secondary (9+) education AOR 3.18[95% C. I 1.16, 8.73] and husband’s primary education AOR 4.0[95% C. I 1.53, 10.42], secondary (9+) education AOR 3.95 [95% C. I 1.38, 11.26], being knowledgeable about RHR AOR 3.57 [95% C. I 1.58, 8.09], marriage duration of more than 10 years AOR 2.95 [95% C. I 1.19, 7.26], access to micro-credit enterprises AOR 4.26[95% C. I 2.06, 8.80], having gender equitable attitude AOR 6.38 [95% C. I 2.52, 12.45] and good qualities of spousal relation AOR 2.95 [95% C. I 1.30, 6.64] were positively influencing women’s decision-making power regarding RHR.ConclusionMore than four in ten rural women had greater decision-making power regarding RHR. External pressures (qualities of spousal relation, gender equitable attitude) and knowledge about RHR were found to influence women’s decision-making power. Public health interventions targeting women’s RHR should take into account strengthening rural micro-credit enterprises, qualities of spousal relations and priority should be given to women with no formal education of husband or herself and marriage duration of < 5 years.

Community Stories: Explaining Resistance to Street Tree-Planting Programs in Detroit, Michigan, USA

Non-profit organizations are key actors in urban and community forestry (UCF) initiatives, and sometimes city residents resist their efforts. Between 2011-2014, 24 percent of residents offered a street tree in Detroit, Michigan, USA submitted a “no-tree request.” Differing views on decision-making emerged as a main reason for resistance to tree planting. This study used interviews with city residents, and those within a non-profit organization, between 2014-2016 to understand reasons for conflict over decision-making between these groups. Heritage narratives, or selective representations of the city’s history and character, helped explain conflict over tree planting. Residents who wanted greater decision-making power in tree planting assumed they would be responsible for stewardship, reflecting their historical experiences within the city. The organization’s dominant heritage narrative emphasized that residents held misperceptions of trees based on negative past experiences, and required education on benefits of trees. Recommendations for integrating heritage narratives into UCF efforts are provided.

Factor Analysis towards Women Empowerment through Participation in Income-Generating Activities (IGAs) in the North-West Part of Bangladesh

Empowerment is a process of awareness and capacity building leading to greater decision-making power and control and to transformative action. Women's empowerment is not only about their economic betterment and reduction in dependency but also about gaining greater control over lives and claiming the rights and entitlement for them. Hence, a study was undertaken with the objective to find out the contribution of factors towards the women empowerment by participating in different income-generating activities. The study was carried out in the Bogra District, which is located in the north-west part of Bangladesh. Four hundred thirty-seven women who are the beneficiaries of Gram Unnayan Karma (GUK) were selected for data collection from seven unions under the Upazila, namely, Sariakandi and Gabtoli from this district. A pre-tested interview schedule was used to collect the data from the respondents from December 2014 to April 2015. Out of four dimensions in relation to women empowerment, economic access of the women is the highest in position with lower access into political dimension. Data indicated that the majority of the respondents (64.76%) were in the medium empowerment category, whereas 18.76% and 16.48% of them were in the low and high empowerment categories, respectively. The Pearson correlation test depicted that out of 20 variables, 11 had significant positive and one had negative relationship with the empowerment. Result of stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that eight variables, namely, knowledge (KNG), attitude towards GUK (ATG), cosmopoliteness (COS), fatalism (FAT), duration with GUK (DWG), income (INC), education (ED) and training (TR) contributed significantly, which as a combination explained 68.56% of the total variation to women empowerment. Path analysis indicated that these eight variables had both direct and indirect effects on empowerment. Beneficiaries of GUK women who had more KNG, had positive attitude towards the GUK/NGOs, were more cosmopolite, educated, had training (TR) experiences, had high income and were for a long time with NGO were found to be highly empowered in the society.

Multi-level Governance of Nanotechnology in Europe: Policy Variation in Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands

Within Europe, there has been the emergence of an EU-wide nanotechnology regulatory regime with regional authorities gaining greater decision-making power over a wide range of policy areas. However, despite the development of more comprehensive European nanotechnology policies, considerable variation remains in how member states implement these rules and regulations. In this article, we utilize a multi-level governance approach, to explore this seeming paradox in order to explain cross-national policy variation within a common European regulatory framework. This broader analytical approach allows us to account for the wide range of actors involved in European nanotechnology governance including, national governments, international organizations, research institutes, firms, and advocacy groups. Case study analysis of Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands emphasizes how differences in domestic policy styles explain variation in the implementation of nanotechnology regulations across states. At the same time, the engagement of national governments with European and international regulatory efforts highlights the important role that states play in contributing to the development of a common nanotechnology regime in Europe.

Can Integrated Agriculture-Nutrition Programmes Change Gender Norms on Land and Asset Ownership? Evidence from Burkina Faso

This article uses a mixed-methods approach to analyse the impact of an integrated agriculture and nutrition programme in Burkina Faso on women’s and men’s assets, and norms regarding ownership, use and control of assets. We use a cluster-randomised controlled trial to determine whether productive asset transfers and increased income-generating opportunities for women increase women’s assets over time. Qualitative work on gender norms finds that although men still own and control most assets, women have greater decision-making power and control over home gardens and their produce, and attitudes towards women owning property have become more favourable in treatment areas.

Intensidade e Adoção da Inovação no Mercado da Base da Pirâmide: um estudo com produtos eletrodomésticos

O artigo analisa as características da intensidade e da adoção da inovação no mercado da base da pirâmide. A intensidade da inovação se configura como radical e incremental, enquanto que a adoção da inovação se configura como inicial e tardia. Como recorte empírico foi realizada uma pesquisa do tipo survey. A análise dos dados se fundamenta na estatística não paramétrica. Os resultados apontam que os consumidores da base da pirâmide se caracterizam por adotarem inovações incrementais de forma tardia, conforme aponta a literatura. Ademais, foi possível concluir também que as mulheres possuem maior poder de decisão nas famílias deste segmento.

Intensidade e Adoção da Inovação no Mercado da Base da Pirâmide: um estudo com produtos eletrodomésticos

The paper analyzes the innovation intensity and adoption characteristics at the base of the pyramid market. The innovation intensity is configured as radical and incremental, while the innovation adoption is configured as early and tardy. As an empirical approach it was conducted a study type survey. Data analysis is based on non-parametric statistics. The results indicate that the base of the pyramid consumers is characterized by adopting incremental innovations tardily, as pointed out by the literature. Furthermore, it was also observed that women have greater decision-making power in the families of this segment.

The Impact of Household Structure on Female Autonomy in Developing Countries

Joint household structures in which several generations co-reside in a single house are common across developing countries. Such households may confer benefits on all the family members through household public goods with the patriarch exercising greater control over resources. Therefore, the household structure may affect the bargaining power of its members. This paper estimates the effect of joint versus nuclear household structure in India on the autonomy of women and their labour force participation and the heterogeneity in the effects by income, caste, and region. I use an instrumental variable approach and find that women living in nuclear households have greater decision-making power.

Experiences and conceptualizations of sexual debut from the narratives of South African men and women in the context of HIV/AIDS

Given the pivotal role of first sex in the development of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) practices, there is a need for more contextualised and nuanced understandings of young people's early sexual debut experiences. This study used sexual history narratives to investigate how South African men and women experience and attribute meaning to their sexual debut, and their SRH practices. In light of the gendered disparities among young people's SRH awareness and risk, differences between men and women's narratives of sexual debut were assessed. Fifty sexual history interviews were conducted with men and 25 sexual history interviews with women, with participants purposively sampled from three age categories, a range of cultural and racial backgrounds and urban and rural sites across five provinces. Narrative interviews were designed to elicit stories around participants’ early knowledge of sex and sexual experimentation, their range of sexual relationships and SRH practices. The data were analysed using a thematic approach. Participants generally reflected on their early sexual experiences with feelings of inadequacy and disappointment. While men appeared to hold greater decision-making power than women at sexual debut, descriptions of men's early sexual experiences were often characterised by respect, intimacy and vulnerability. Many men attributed the timing of their sexual debut to peer pressure, which typically generated higher social status and rarely included consideration of the need to practice safer sex. Several women felt pressured by their partner to sexually debut, which could have informed their perceptions of men being sexually controlling and aggressive. The study demonstrates the value of a narrative approach for generating insights on young people's sexual debut experiences and SRH practices, and the underlying gendered norms and expectations that shape these. The findings indicate the need for gender transformative HIV interventions to take into the diversity of young people's SRH needs and social realities.

Schools, Governance and Community: A Next Practice Intervention

The article analyses an innovative scheme for the re-organization of school governance that sought to enhance the voice of community members and contribute towards the improvement of educational achievement. The scheme was located in the north of England, a region characterized by high levels of social disadvantage and low participation rates in higher education. The research adopted a case study methodology informed by observation, minutes of governors’ meetings, training workshops, conferences, face-to-face interviews, online surveys and local authority (LA) documentation. The fieldwork was conducted in 2007—2008. The findings suggest that although aspects of community engagement are present they are inhibited by a number of factors operating at the strategic level in LA policy. This results in an aspirational model of school governance that reflects traditional practices in which the LA intercedes as the indispensable broker and external agent for innovation and change. In order to move away from the restrictions of this approach the LA needs to expand its strategies to involve members of the community in governance and develop mechanisms to devolve greater decision-making power to the community.